


frozen in time between hearses and caskets

by takamicchi



Category: Great Pretender (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Getting Together, M/M, Spoilers for Case 4, fast burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:54:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28147938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takamicchi/pseuds/takamicchi
Summary: “…Do you like cats?” Suzaku asked with a straight face.Laurent faltered slightly at the question, caught off guard by the mundane question. “Excuse me?”Suzaku’s eyes narrowed. “I asked if you liked cats.”There's something strange going on behind the scenes of this case that Laurent can't quite put his finger on. First, it was the questions, then it was the strange "business meetings", and next thing Laurent knows, a box with a diamond ring in it is being shoved in his hands and he's down on one knee proposing to a stranger. Ah, well, he's not complaining.Or, the canon divergence au where Laurent Thierry is conned into a marriage with Edamura Makoto by a certain CEO, but he goes along with his plans anyways, his fiancé be damned.
Relationships: Edamura Makoto/Laurent Thierry
Comments: 9
Kudos: 158
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	frozen in time between hearses and caskets

**Author's Note:**

  * For [presentday](https://archiveofourown.org/users/presentday/gifts).



> also ahh im so sorry presentday i dont write porn at all Dx but i hope this arranged marriage au can make up for it!
> 
> happy holidays!

Laurent’s not really sure how it’s come down to this—him down on one knee, in the middle of an extravagant five-star restaurant surrounded by disguised members from both branches of the Scarlet Company, a dazzling smile that teeters just on the edge of being smarmy, and one hand gently resting on top of the box that sits innocuously atop of his outheld palm.

Edamura—no, _Edamame_ —is looking at him with stunned eyes, jaw dropped wide open, completely at a loss for words. Laurent can spot the instinctive desire for rejection on the tip of the other man’s tongue. Laurent doesn’t change his expression, however, keeping the same overconfident aura around him. Edamame’s eyes shift from him to the onlookers around them, full of people the poor man probably doesn’t even recognize or _would_ want to get to know, pupils finally settling on the only figure he recognizes and also the one responsible for all of this—Suzaku Akemi.

Laurent’s gaze follows Edamame’s, the woman shooting the Japanese man a masterfully polite yet sly smirk, expectant and mischievous all at once. Laurent can see the gears in Edamame’s heads turning in that moment, realization slowly settling in his eyes and the dread that follows it.

And, because Laurent is rather mischievous himself and he knows of the near impossibility that he’ll ever get another opportunity like this one, he seals his own fate (though there was never any option to quit while he was already so far ahead) when he lifts the box’s lid delicately with two pinched fingers, revealing the ring inside. The chandelier’s light gleams off the overly exorbitant diamond crystal attached to the jewelry, the dazzling shimmer almost blinding.

Laurent’s not sure if he should be happy or sad that his fellow comrades aren’t there to witness him to propose to a complete stranger. He’d love to see their reactions, though, he’s sure none of them would be surprised. Far from it, they’d exactly expect that kind of outlandish development from him.

At this point, Edamame’s practically screaming at him with pleading eyes to stop before it’s too late. Unfortunately for his to-be-fiancé, however, it’s been too late for a while now. Laurent’s learned how to be one who commits over the years, and he has no plans over stopping now.

“ _Edamame_ ,” Laurent sugarcoats the pet name with sickly sweet pronunciation, using his natural French accent to his advantage, “Will you marry me?”

Edamame snaps out of the near-comatose state he’s been in since the box left his pants pocket, his mouth opening and closing, gaping like a fish out of water. His fists clench closed by the sides of his body, shoulders tense, and Laurent briefly entertains the slight possibility that maybe, just _maybe_ Edamame will have the courage to turn him down.

Except Edamame aggressively swipes at the ring with one hand almost carelessly, spiteful smirk on his face directed towards Laurent though to any casual observer, it may come off as more of an overjoyed grin. He holds the ring up in Laurent’s face with a challenging glint in his eyes and Laurent thinks he’s enjoying these unforeseen turns of events much more than he has any right to.

“I already told you, bastard, my name is Edamura!”

Then, the other man shoves the ring onto his index finger with perhaps more passion than necessary, and the room bursts into delayed, awkward applause; nobody is quite completely confident about the rather unconventional proposal.

At least now Laurent can mark off “Marrying the son of a Japanese mob boss” off his bucket list.

* * *

Now, one might ask where and when exactly Laurent had picked himself up a fiancée, especially one as steadily available as Edamura Makoto, and the answer is somewhere along the lines of the man essentially being shoved into his lap—both literally and metaphorically.

It started around two weeks ago, when Laurent had swooped in to become Liu Xiao’s translator again after the implanted one had decided to suddenly “disappear” out of nowhere. He was there to save them in the nick of time, and after Liu Xiao had heard a famous fortune teller’s vague words, how likely would it have seemed to be such a coincidence?

So, he was hired on the spot, much to his expectations. After that, the gears of their plan were set in motion, but not before Laurent found himself being shoved onto a plane with Chen Yao for an impromptu meeting called by the parent branch in Japan. Supposedly, they needed a translator to come along for this.

Laurent had shrugged it off. Sure, it wasn’t exactly part of the plan, but that’s what impromptu was for. Not everything has to go according to a script—and more likely than not, things won’t. That’s just how life works sometimes. Little did the blonde man know that going to Japan would set off an… unexpected chain of events. A certain chain of events that would lead to his current predicament.

_Akemi Suzaku’s eyes were as sharp as daggers, acute gaze focused on Laurent when he had first stepped into the room with Chen Yao. He smiled as if he didn’t notice, telling himself there was absolutely no way she could’ve recognized him with an elusive life like his, yet the CEO’s eyes never trailed away once. Even Chen Yao himself noticed, but Laurent’s fellow “associate” did not acknowledge the matter in any way._

_“I asked for Liu. This matter is none of your concern,” Suzaku icily told them. Her eyes flickered to Laurent once again, a curious glint in them. Laurent still didn’t falter under her gaze, but he could tell there was some kind of plan forming in those scheming eyes. And somehow, it involved himself, even though he already had his own plan to hatch._

_Laurent translated the conversation as it went, and big surprise—neither side could reach an agreement. Of course, they wouldn’t, when they were already on such bad terms with each other. Goodness, the hostility was such a blight to witness firsthand. Perhaps it could be used to his advantage. He’ll have to mull it over later._

_Expectantly, the meeting had gone sour and Chen Yao was ready to storm out with him and the other guards back to the car. With Chen Yao’s back turned on the CEO, Laurent was just about ready to leave with the man, quickly but not indiscreetly, not wanting to get wrapped up in whatever these affairs may be more than he already had, but then—_

_“Wait,” Suzaku shifted in her seat, elegant pose switched for another, and her voice subtly authoritative, “You. Interpreter.”_

_Laurent internally winced, but his outward grin only grew wider in response (perhaps as an instinctive response), and Chen Yao shot the Frenchman a wide-eyed look when he stopped in place. There was an unspoken warning in his eye—not aggressive nor distrustful, but for Laurent to be careful. Ah, but Laurent already knew what he was dealing with._

_“Hmm? May you be referring to me?” Laurent cheekily smirked, hands shoved into the pockets of his pants. He made sure to keep his posture lax, as if speaking to the CEO of a human-trafficking company meant nothing to him. The middle-aged Japanese man with glasses by Suzaku’s side gaped at his attitude, clearly offended by his tone._

_Suzaku herself didn’t seem surprised. She didn’t even flinch at his remark, instead saying in an elevated voice, “Do not play stupid with me, boy.”_

_Laurent shrugged; grin still plastered on his face. “What is it that you would want with me, madame?”_

_“Stay behind. I want to talk to you. Alone,” Suzaku said, her eyes slanting ever so slightly in the direction of Chen Yao._

_“What’s happening? What is that bitch asking for?” Chen Yao asked in a hushed whisper._

_“She wants me to have a little private rendezvous with me, it seems,” Laurent answered honestly, not seeing any reason to lie. Maybe if he’s lucky, Chen Yao will find a way to save him._

_“What?” It came out as a snarl, Chen Yao throwing Suzaku a wild glare. Suzaku’s smirk never left her face, and Chen Yao had to bite the instinctive reply off the tip of his tongue._

_“…He better be damn returned to us in one piece,” Chen Yao angrily muttered, signaling_ _the goons to follow him out of the office. Ah, the disappointment Laurent had felt in that moment._

* * *

Edamam—alright, _Edamura_ (he’ll take some pity on his fiancé) otherwise known as his dear, dear to-be-husband—has had the same smile stuck frozen on his face ever since the proposal. Laurent’s almost sure he’s broken the poor Japanese man—but honestly, had he not seen it coming? Does it seem like Laurent’s the type to back out?

“What’s wrong, darling?” Laurent asks with feigned concern, going as far as to take the man’s hand and plant his lips on one of the knuckles to hide the forming mischievous grin. “You seem to be in shock. Are you feeling alright?”

Edamura yanks his hand away as if the touch burned him, disgusted expression on his face. He hisses close to Laurent’s ear so that nobody else can hear, “This was your plan all along, wasn’t it, you sadist!”

Laurent chuckles. “I have no idea what you could be talking about.”

Edamura tightly grips his tie and surveys his surroundings before dragging Laurent away from the main hall, not even bothering to hide his expression of contempt. Ooh, kinky. Laurent allows himself to be dragged away, not putting up any resistance.

His fiancé slightly opens a door just a crack to peek inside with one eye before nodding to himself, satisfied, and shoving Laurent inside forcefully. Laurent’s surprised by the sheer amount of force Edamura conjures up—the man looks like a skinny bean pole, but perhaps the strength summoned is fueled by pure adrenaline and desperation.

Which is a little insulting to Laurent. Getting married to him isn’t _that_ abhorrent, right?

“I’ve just about had it,” Edamura says with a strained voice. When Laurent doesn’t take his “threat” seriously, he stomps his foot, like a little child. “I’m serious!”

“You still haven’t answered my question. What’s wrong?”

“Everything!” Edamura’s slightly elevated voice comes out in disbelief. Edamura would probably be screaming right now if they didn’t have guests in a nearby room. Laurent may not know much about Edamura’s relationship to Suzaku, but the man is respectful enough not to cause a scene in front of her and her “corporate partners”. “We weren’t actually supposed to get married!”

Laurent tilts his head slightly to the side. “Why not?”

“B—because we’ve barely known each other for less than a month? I knew you were _crazy_ but… come on, you have to see what’s wrong with getting engaged to someone you barely know!”

“That’s what the purpose of an _omiai_ is, though? Either way, I don’t know why you’re coming to me about this. Shouldn’t you be having this conversation with Suzaku-san, instead? She’s the one who arranged all of this in the first place, after all.”

“Don’t bring her into this! You were the one who took out the ring and everything!” Edamura frantically says in a panic. “And by the way, news flash: even in omiai, people still take months to get to know each other before becoming wife and husband! They don’t just get hitched only days after the first meeting!”

“I think I know plenty about you already. You’re quite an open book…”

Edamura snarls, “You know _nothing_ about me.”

“Hitting all the cliché one-liners tonight, dear? You’ve already accepted, you know, it’s a bit too late to back out now.”

Edamura deflates, all the fight that was in him escaping. His shoulders droop and his gaze hits the floor, his hand going up to rub the back of his neck. “Well, erm… not if you take it back.”

Laurent blinks, dumbfounded expression on his face. “Why would I do that?”

Edamura sucks in a deep breath, hand reaching around to cover his eyes, and Laurent has to admit—there’s something genuinely amusing about pushing this man to his limits. “Let me get this straight. You don’t _actually_ want to marry me, right?”

“I wouldn’t have proposed if I didn’t,” Laurent merely answers.

Another deep breath of frustration. “ _Alright_ ,” Edamura bites back as much strain in his voice as he can, “next question—”

“I didn’t realize I would be getting an interrogation from my fiancé tonight. Are you perhaps into BDSM—”

Edamura’s cheeks flush slightly red and he all but shoves his hand on top of Laurent’s mouth, muffling the rest of his question. “ _Next question,”_ he emphasizes with a dark look, “ _why_ would you even want to marry me?”

“Does it ever tire you to ask why? Why this, why that, but you never ask _how_ I am. I’m a little hurt, Edamame.”

Edamura bristles—though Laurent’s not sure if it’s because of his non-answer or the pet name or both. Probably both. Suzaku mostly has a poker face whenever Laurent sees her, but the blonde man thinks that _this_ , the annoyed expression, and the slight tilt of the corners of the mouth paired with distrustful eyes, might be one of the few times where he can see the resemblance between the two. Otherwise, the two act as different as night and day. They don’t even look like they could be related.

(Of course, that’s only his assumption…)

* * *

_“Ishigami, leave us,” Suzaku ordered. Ishigami was taken aback by the command but obeyed the CEO without any other signs of protest, bowing his head respectfully before heading out the door. Laurent kept up his confident persona, not faltering even when meeting one-on-one with a Japanese mob boss. It was fine, right?_

_Suzaku poured a cup of dark brown liquid into a teacup. She pushed it forward, eyes locked on Laurent. Laurent picked it up, surprised when the scent of coffee hits—he thought Japanese people usually preferred tea over coffee?_

_He took a small courtesy sip, eyebrow curiously raising at the small figure perched on the edge of the coffee mug. How strange, out of place even._

_“…Do you like cats?” Suzaku asked with a straight face._

_Laurent faltered slightly at the question, caught off guard by the mundane question. “Excuse me?”_

_Suzaku’s eyes narrowed. “I asked if you liked cats.”_

_Such a seemingly harmless question—it wasn’t exactly what he expected when she had asked him to stay behind. Still, Laurent found no reason not to answer truthfully._

_“I suppose they’re alright,” Laurent said, hazy memories of watching stray cats scurry across the alleyways of France crossing his mind. They didn’t hold particular animosity towards him, especially when he would invade their territory in drunken stupors late at night, but they were never sociable enough to approach him kindly either._

_“Your Japanese is surprisingly fluent, for a foreigner. Much of the other foreigner interpreters I’ve met have trouble pronouncing our language.”_

_“Thank you,” Laurent politely said. He set down the coffee mug on the desk, most of it except the one sip untouched. “I try my best to sound as natural as I can when speaking any language. It takes some practice. It’s integral to my job, after all.”_

_“I’m assuming that you learned Japanese outside of Japan?”_

_Laurent nodded. “This country isn’t very welcoming to outsiders, as I’m sure you’re aware. I’ve only visited this country once before today, and it was for business only.”_

_“Interesting,” Suzaku noted. “How long was that for?”_

_Laurent wasn’t sure where this conversation was going. The last time he went to Japan was for a small-time con, nothing involving the Scarlet company in any way, including the Chinese branch he currently worked for._

_“I wasn’t working for Liu Xiao at the time,” Laurent explained._

_Suzaku smirked knowingly. “Does that matter?”_

_Well, didn’t it? Laurent couldn’t figure out what this woman wanted in the slightest, so all he could do was play along with the charade until enough details could be picked out to infer her intentions._

_“Only about three days or so,” Laurent answered. “I didn’t get to see much in that time frame. Only small bits of Tokyo here and there.”_

_“Would you call your time in Japan enjoyable?”_

_Laurent shrugged. “It was for business, like I previously mentioned.”_

_“You travel abroad often?”_

_“That’s what interpreters are for.”_

_“Where did you originally come from, then?”_

_“France.”_

_Suzaku wasn’t surprised by the answer. It wasn’t like Laurent hid it. It was hard to trace him fully even with a full name and his country of origin. “You don’t ever get homesick?”_

_“Hmm…” Laurent rolled the thought over in his head once, twice. “Not particularly. I intended on moving back once with a friend, but those plans went unfortunately awry.”_

_Laurent laughed it off, hoping the slight strain in his voice couldn’t be heard. “It didn’t work out in the end.”_

_“How long ago was that?”_

_“It’s been a few years.”_

_“Ah,” Suzaku regained the little composure she had lost in the moment. “Speaking of partners, what are the qualities you value the most when seeking one?”_

_Abigail, Cynthia, Kim Shi-won, and the others crossed his mind. The answer in his throat was almost immediate—_

_“I’d need to be able to trust them,” Laurent said._

_“An honest person?”_

_“Frankly speaking, you won’t meet much honest people in my field. Honesty and trust don’t always have to go hand-in-hand.”_

_“In your field,” Suzaku repeated amusedly. “Very well. You, interpreter, are much easier to deal with than that barbarian Liu Xiao sent. You look to be around my son’s age, as well. This will be sufficient.”_

_Her son?_

_She continued, “Bring your associate back. I have a new proposition in mind.”_

* * *

They go back to the main hall together eventually, greeting anyone who gives them their passing congratulations on the way. Edamura doesn’t look any less accepting of the current situation, but he’s making better effort to mask the underlying protest in his eyes. Keyword: _effort_.

An honest man, hmm? It’s not exactly how Laurent would describe Edamura, but it’s one of the more accurate descriptions of the man.

Laurent takes a pair of champagne glasses from the tray that a nearby butler carries. He offers the second glass to Edamura.

Edamura considers it for a second before taking the glass from Laurent’s hand and having a small sip of it. It’s adorable how the man tries to evaluate the taste on the tip of his tongue. Has his little fiancé never tried champagne before?

“Wipe that look off your face,” Edamura says with an unamused expression.

“What look?” Laurent asks innocently.

Edamura grumbles something too inaudible for Laurent to properly understand, but his grumpy tone gives enough of a clue for him to know it probably isn’t flattering.

“It would do you well to cheer up a little,” Laurent hums. “We’re to be—”

“Married soon, _I know._ Does it give you that much joy to rub it in my face every opportunity you get?”

“Of course,” Laurent shamelessly admits.

“I hate you,” Edamura flatly replies.

“Don’t worry, I love you too, dear,” Laurent pats Edamura’s head, which only angers the man further. He yanks away from Laurent’s touch with a flustered expression, clearly not used to intimate touch of any kind.

“Don’t say such words so carelessly!” Edamura insists. When Laurent is about to open his mouth, Edamura interrupts with, “And don’t you _dare_ say you’ve fallen in love with me when we’ve barely known each other for more than a week! I don’t want to hear it from a silver-tongued Frenchman.”

Laurent breaks into laughter at the statement. _Silver-tongued?_ Nobody’s ever described him as such before!

“I take that as a compliment,” Laurent says when his wheezing dies down. “Besides, you don’t mind my silver tongue, do you dear?”

“Stop calling me dear,” Edamura hisses.

“Fine, Edamame.”

“That’s not any better!”

“Edamura doesn’t roll off my tongue easily. It’s a cute nickname, wouldn’t you agree?”

Edamura shakes his head profusely. “It’s embarrassing!” he says in a hushed voice.

“So, back to dear, then.”

“Just call me Makoto if you have to,” Edamura huffs.

“That would make me seem like a very unloving husband,” Laurent says.

“We’re not married yet,” Edamura hotly argues.

“A very unloving fiancé—”

“You just _love_ your semantics, don’t you?”

“Of course, dear, I’m an interpreter. Semantics are _everything_ or else things will get lost in translation.”

“I don’t know how I can get married to someone I can’t even stand talking to,” Edamura whispers to himself.

“It’s truly not too late to back out,” Laurent says.

“You know I can’t,” Edamura says, without explanation. Laurent sends him a strange look, but Edamura doesn’t elaborate further, busy sipping more champagne from his glass.

The two of them spend most of the rest of the night going around, receiving congratulations from associates of both branches of the Scarlet company, and exchanging the occasionally not-so-completely-friendly banter.

Eventually, the two of them bump into Liu Xiao.

“This is my boss, Liu Xiao,” Laurent introduces the man to Edamura. “He’s the reason I was able to meet you in the first place.”

That doesn’t give Edamura much to think favorably of the man, but the man still offers his hand out in courtesy. Liu Xiao shakes it, polite smile on his face.

“I didn’t know that woman had another son,” Liu Xiao comments in Chinese. Edamura freezes, shoulders tense.

“Another?” Laurent asks back.

“Never mind,” Liu Xiao says with a shake of his head.

“…She doesn’t,” Edamura cuts in, voice low, switching his language to Chinese. Liu Xiao stumbles back, clearly not having expected that.

“Ah, my apologies. I didn’t realize you spoke our tongue, too,” Liu Xiao says with a strained smile.

“It’s fine,” Edamura coldly retorts. He taps Laurent on the shoulder with his hand, switching back to Japanese, “I’m going to the balcony for some air. I’ll be back— _don’t_ come after me.”

The Japanese man wanders away, leaving Laurent and Liu Xiao alone.

* * *

_Makoto Edamura didn’t seem like anything special. The man who sat down at the restaurant table seemed almost lifeless, restless eyes and drooped shoulders—volatile, vulnerable, qualities that are everything opposite of Suzaku._

_He stared at the table halfheartedly looking at the menu. Not once did those eyes ever look up to meet Laurent’s._

_“Have you decided what you want yet?” Laurent asked._

_“I’ll just have whatever you’re having,” Edamura flatly responded. He closed the menu and slouched in his seat. “I don’t really care that much.”_

_“You trust me that much? What if I ordered something weird? Would you still double down on that?” Laurent teased._

_“I already said I don’t care,” Edamura said. “Order whatever you want.”_

_Well, that was no fun._

_The waiter came to take their orders and collect their menus. Laurent spent the time waiting for their food to carefully observe Edamura, who was determined to continue staring at the table with a disinterested attitude. Laurent couldn’t understand Suzaku in the slightest._

_“So… Edamame, how—”_

_“Edamura,” the man muttered._

_“Hmm?”_

_“My name’s Edamura.”_

_Laurent ignored him, continuing, “Edamame, how long have you been working under the Scarlet company?”_

_He wanted a good gauge of how deep the man was entangled in Suzaku’s web. It was a fair question to ask in the first place._

_Edamura narrowed his eyes. “…What are you talking about? I’ve never worked for that company even once.”_

_Laurent, for the first time ever since stepping foot in Japan, dropped his poker mask in shock._

_“Eh?”_

* * *

“I thought I told you not to follow me,” Edamura says.

“Did you think I’d actually listen?”

Edamura grimaces. “Obviously not.”

Laurent approaches the man leaning against the railing of the balcony. He admires the spectacular of view of Tokyo—Suzaku knows how to throw a tasteful party, he’ll give her that. And _only_ that.

He looks over to his fiancé, noticing that Edamura’s hand is wrapped around a box of cigarettes.

“You smoke?” Laurent asks smoothly.

Edamura is confused before he follows Laurent’s gaze down to the object in his hands. He blushes at himself for not realizing sooner, holding the box so it’s not cradled away from sight. “Ishigami gave it to me just now. I don’t have anything to light it with, though.”

Laurent digs in his right pants pocket and pulls out a lighter.

Exasperated, Edamura asks, “Do you just carry that around with you everywhere?”

“It pays off, doesn’t it?” Laurent says with a smile when he plucks one of the cigarettes out from the box and lights it. Edamura follows the motion, holding out his own cigarette for Laurent to light, except the blonde man already set the small object back into his pocket.

“Hey!” Edamura complains.

“Oh, did you want yours lit as well? My bad,” Laurent is trying his best not to laugh at this man’s misfortune at his hands. “Here.”

The blonde man guides the wrist of Edamura’s hand holding the cigarette so that the two tips of the cigarettes meet. Edamura’s face turns red when he processes what Laurent’s doing, pulling away when it’s sufficiently lit.

“Bastard, you planned that,” Edamura says.

“I won’t deny it,” Laurent agrees. “You’re just too easy to tease, you know.”

The two of them stand there in silence, gazing out at the night skyline horizon, wordlessly smoking their cigarettes.

Until Laurent breaks the tranquility when he says, “I wonder how good of a kisser you’ll turn out to be,” causing Edamura to choke and then consequently cough out smoke. Ah, too easy, indeed.

* * *

_Laurent had to admit it—he’d been duped pretty thoroughly. He should’ve seen it coming, retrospectively looking back on the strangely invasive questions and all things considered. Or should he have? It was an utterly ridiculous situation and not something he—or anyone—would have expected at all._

_“You thought this was a meeting for work?” Edamura asked in slightly disbelief. His eyebrows furrowed, the most emotion Laurent’s been able to glean from the man so far. “That’s why you’re wearing a suit and everything. Most of the others never bothered to make an impression.”_

_“The others?”_

_“Ah…” Edamura scratched the side of his face with a finger, clearly embarrassed. He averted his gaze from Laurent’s, explaining, “Suzaku-san has been trying to set me up for a while now. I thought you were just another one of those partners that she picked out.”_

_“For a partnership?”_

_Edamura winced. “For marriage.”_

_…_

_“I see,” Laurent said. “She’s quite determined, going as far as to trick a man unrelated to any of this into coming.”_

_“I’m sorry!” Edamura apologizes, clapping his hands together and bowing his head slightly. “I didn’t mean to get you dragged into this! Every week, whenever we meet, she asks me ‘Edamura-kun, when are you planning on getting married? You won’t be young forever, you know, and a young man should not waste his youth being single’ even though I’ve told her time and time again that I wasn’t looking to even date anyone!”_

_“She is very traditional from what I’ve seen,” Laurent noted. “It makes sense that she would want an heir to pass down the bloodline.”_

_“I don’t think it has anything to do with that…” Edamura muttered. “Either way, I apologize for her bringing you into this. It’s unprofessional, I understand. She’s just… worried about me and my future. I guess anyone would be in her shoes.”_

_Laurent hummed, the gears in his head turning. “I was a little surprised to find out at first, but it’s fine now. Ah, look, our food’s here.”_

_The rest of lunch goes swimmingly better than before when they’re on the same page. It’s not just that, however—Edamura seems to have opened up a little at the absurdity of the situation. The Japanese man doesn’t hesitate to talk about his other failed meetings that his mother had set up for him, citing that she must’ve hit a new desperation point._

_“She must care a lot for you to go this far.”_

_“She does,” Edamura agrees. “It’s been hard, and I don’t know what I would’ve done without her by my side. Probably would’ve ended up in prison by now.”_

* * *

Edamura insists on saying goodbye to Suzaku with a hug before they go outside to slip into a taxi together. They stop by Edamura’s apartment, Edamura shooting Laurent a wild look when the Frenchman tries to leave the taxi too.

Careful to keep the taxi door open, Edamura asks hurriedly, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Am I not staying over?”

“No! I left with you for appearance sake, just go back to your hotel room!”

“Eh… but—”

“No buts,” Edamura insists. “ _Go._ ”

“You don’t have to make it sound like a threat,” Laurent playfully teases.

Edamura pulls at his own hair, “Sometimes I have to, otherwise you don’t listen to anything I have to say.”

“Oh, I listen all the time. I just find it inconvenient to follow it through most of the time.”

* * *

_They walked along the streets outside the restaurant. Laurent caught the stares of a few people as they sauntered on the sidewalk._

_“You almost look like the typical tourist if it weren’t for your attire. Speaking of which, aren’t you hot in that suit?”_

_“Why? Would you like to see me take it off?”_

_“No! Pervert!” Edamura yelled, annoyed. “Do you ask that often to people you’ve just met? What kind of first impression is that?”_

_“It’s called flirting,” Laurent said with a wink._

_“More like harassment,” Edamura sighed. “Foreigners…”_

_“I was joking,” Laurent chuckled. They stopped by a gacha machine that Edamura seemed to be familiar with. Laurent confirmed those suspicions when he saw tiny cat figures stuffed in one of the machines out of the corner of his eye. However, Edamura was focused on one of the others._

_The Japanese man took the little ball from the slot._

_“Say, Edamame, if you don’t work for your mother’s company, then who do you work for?”_

_Edamura opened the plastic ball, revealing a miniature green samurai figure that Laurent didn’t recognize. “Tch,” Edamura said in disappointment, closing the ball and stuffing it in his pocket, “I’m currently unemployed right now. Suzaku-san offered me a position, but I haven’t taken it yet.”_

_Laurent tilted his head. “You don’t want to work for your mother?”_

_Edamura’s hand clenched. “It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s that I shouldn’t. I have a bad track record, and I don’t want to accidentally tank her company’s reputation with my presence. I’m still trying to find work on my own terms, but she’s been supporting me for now.”_

_“If you have such a bad reputation yourself, then, how will you ever find work?” Laurent asked. There was no doubt in Laurent’s mind at this point—Edamura wasn’t aware of the true nature of Suzaku’s company. Either that, or he was putting on a good act._

_(Which Laurent doubted considering how readable the man had been up until that point. Honest man, indeed, Suzaku-san.)_

_“I’m still trying!” Edamura insisted. “It’s not like I need the most stellar resume for something like garbage collecting, right!”_

_“Exactly,” Laurent agreed, “so why are you still unemployed?”_

_“I don’t know,” Edamura said miserably, “I guess even garbage collectors need to lead an honest life to get any work around here.”_

_Laurent blinked._

_“Did you kill someone?”_

_Edamura jumped at the sudden intrusive question. “What? No! I would—I wouldn’t ever take someone’s life!”_

_“Human trafficking?”_

_“…My dad was involved in that. I’d never follow in his footsteps.”_

_“Then?”_

_Edamura sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess it’s fine since it’s all in the past, now, but… well, better to say it now than later... I, uh, used to be a con man.”_

_Laurent resisted the urge to burst into laughter right then and there. Oh, fate have sweet mercy on him, the irony of the situation was not lost on him. Not at all. “Con artist?” Laurent gasped in fake surprise. “My, how unusual.”_

_“They’re more common than you think,” Edamura sheepishly added._

_“Oh, you have no idea,” Laurent chuckled._

* * *

“Eh… married, huh?” Cynthia’s voice filtered through the phone doesn’t sound even slightly stunned at the turn of events. “Who’s the unfortunate miss you’ve gotten involved with this time?”

“Not a _miss_ this time,” Laurent tuts. “A miss—ter Makoto Edamura, an openly honest man as described by his peers. I proposed last night, by the way. His mom is eccentric enough to push the wedding for next week.”

Cynthia scoffs, unimpressed. “I’ve seen shorter. Come talk to me when you’ve seen a couple get together within three days. Proposal the first, engagement the second, wedding the third. Already demanding divorce on the sixth day.”

“That’s just how love works, sometimes, in France,” Laurent chuckles.

“People are just crazy enough to treat marriage like a joke.” Laurent doesn’t miss the slight implication that he’s included in said pool of people. “I suppose I should give you my congratulations in order. I’ll be sure to tell the others as well. Are we delaying the plans, then? By a week? More than a week? You don’t plan on having a honeymoon, do you?”

“About that,” Laurent says with a smirk. He’s an opportunist, after all. “I think now’s the best time for a change of plans, wouldn’t you say?”

“Oh?” Cynthia’s smirk can be heard just through her own voice.

* * *

_They were definitely supposed to return to China by now. Why were they still in Japan?_

_“Liu Xiao wants us to stay for longer,” Chen Yao told him over lunch. “Apparently, negotiations are going well with Suzaku. They haven’t finished yet, though.”_

_“How long do you think we’ll have to stay here? I’m not a big fan of the food here, I already miss Chinese cuisine,” Laurent sighed._

_Chen Yao laughed at that. “I know, right! Boss didn’t give us a time estimate, though. He said to just stay put.”_

_“I wonder what’s taking so long…” Laurent said to himself when Chen Yao had to excuse himself to go to the bathroom. What the hell was Suzaku planning? Of course, he had to be unfortunate enough to be caught in some woman’s ploy while in the middle of his revenge scheme._

_He was still alone at the table when his phone rang a few minutes later. He picked it up smoothly, noting that it was from Liu Xiao._

_“Hello?”_

_“Laurent,” Liu Xiao’s voice greeted him. “I’m sorry to have to ask you this, but…”_

* * *

“I thought traditionally, the groom doesn’t see the bride’s dress until the day of the wedding,” Edamura protests when he sees himself and Laurent behind him in the mirror.

“We’re not the average couple, however, are we? I don’t see a dress anywhere in sight.”

“…Stop being so handsy!” Edamura argues, slapping Laurent’s fingertips away from his collarbone. “How is this going to work, anyways, if we can’t get married legally in Japan?”

“We’ll just have to be married legally on paper in another country,” Laurent says with a wink. “I know a person, don’t worry.”

“You are awfully committed to all… this,” Edamura grumbles.

“Not any more than your mother.”

“Suzaku-san is on an entire another level compared to anyone living on the planet,” Edamura shudders. “It’s kinda scary.”

“She is a scary woman,” Laurent casually hums. “Your tie needs to be fixed.”

“I’ll get someone else to help me.”

“You don’t have to be so stubborn all the time,” Laurent smoothly says. “It’ll be easier that way.”

“I’ll be what I want to be. It’s not like I’m getting married _for you_ in the first place,” Edamura asserts with crossed arms. Laurent blocks Edamura’s sight of himself in the mirror when he crosses between the two, properly fixing Edamura’s tie instead of getting sidetracked.

“Rest assured, I’ll be getting married for myself,” Laurent comments.

“There _has_ to be something you get out of this.”

“An adorable little husband?” Laurent finishes looping the tie around neatly.

“Meanwhile, I’ll be getting nothing but a pain in my ass,” Edamura darkly retorts.

“Oh, you wound my heart,” Laurent dramatically announces, hand placed over his forehead in a swooning motion. “I’ve been nothing but—”

“A loving husband, yeah yeah. Maybe you could work on your one-liners to be a little less predictable between now and our wedding day.”

After getting fitted for their suits, Laurent stops at a place nearby for some bubble tea. When they both order and wait for their drinks to be made, Edamura asks a question out of the blue, “Uh, Laurent, it just came to me that you never talked about inviting anyone to… our wedding.”

“Most of my friends are working international jobs, it would be horribly inconvenient for them to come for such a short and small ceremony,” Laurent explains. He and Edamura respectively take their bubble tea orders from the counter and they begin to stroll down the sidewalk.

“Isn’t getting married a… big thing?”

“When I told my friends, they weren’t surprised in the slightest,” Laurent says.

“That probably has more to do with the fact _it’s you_ than anything else,” Edamura bluntly comments with a face of disbelief.

“I offered, but only two of them accepted. They’re going to be flying in a little before the wedding ceremony. The rest said they’d like to meet you some time, however,” Laurent says. “They’re all excited to see the type of man I’d marry.”

“I’m surprised someone like you even has friends in the first place,” Edamura huffs.

“And what about you, my dear? Don’t you have any friends you’d like to invite yourself?”

Edamura pauses, taking a moment to think about it. “Well, there was this _one_ friend… he used to be my old boss but…”

“…we lost contact sometime ago. It would be a hassle trying to find his number again,” Edamura says. “I’m just glad Suzaku-san is coming.”

Laurent can already see the direction that the conversation is going in—

Edamura hesitantly asks, “I don’t want to intrude on your privacy or anything but… what about your parents?”

“My father’s been out of the picture ever since I could remember. My mother passed away when I was still young.”

“…Oh,” Edamura says, voice uncharacteristically soft. “Then, that time—never mind. I’m sorry to hear that. It must’ve been hard for you.”

“I wouldn’t be here today if it hadn’t happened. Sorry to say there won’t be a second overbearing mom crashing into our wedding,” Laurent deflects with a humorous tone.

“…Suzaku-san’s not actually my mom,” Edamura admits. “I know, like, everyone says she’s my mom and she treats me like her son, and _everyone_ treats me like I’m her son.”

“But I’m not. I’m not her son. I’m not even related to her by blood, she just so happened to be a friend of my parents. Suzaku-san tried to support my mom when she was sick in the hospital but…”

“She didn’t make it,” Edamura finishes, his voice cracking. “Suzaku-san took me in afterwards. I stayed in her house, for a while, lived in the room that used to be her son’s.”

“Her son ran away from home apparently,” Edamura says. “Then disappeared. Presumed dead now, nobody knows what happened to him.”

Laurent stops sipping on his tea, appetite suddenly lost. He hadn’t realized their conversation would take such a dark turn.

“It’s funny how death brings us together,” Edamura bleakly sighs. “We’re all looking for a way to find that piece of ourselves that we lost, but I think it’s gone forever. Now, we’re just trying to find a way to fill the hole. But… we can’t. Maybe we won’t ever be able to.”

* * *

_“If it isn’t the man of the hour,” Laurent greeted. He intentionally invaded Edamura’s private space by surging forward and casually slinging an arm around the man. Edamura gritted his teeth, adorably, but didn’t make a move to shove him off._

_“Hi again,” Edamura awkwardly greeted back in a flat tone. “Let’s just get this over with.”_

_Laurent raised an eyebrow at that. Suzaku forced the other man to come along? It was obvious he didn’t want to be there._

_Their meeting spot this time was a festival. They wandered around past numerous stalls, Laurent deciding to try his hand at a few of the games. He even won a small animal plushie—a cat that he purposely picked remembering Suzaku’s question._

_“Thanks,” Edamura said, voice tense. He seemed to genuinely brighten up a little at the sight of the toy, at least._

_They kept going, stopping at a stall to get some fried tempura, and sat down at a nearby bench. Edamura hadn’t spoke much past greetings and the one token of gratitude, forcing Laurent to fill most of the silence with filler talk._

_Eventually, Edamura would cut in to one of his rambles with, “Why did you come back?”_

_“Hmm? My boss told me to meet with you today,” Laurent answered._

_“Your boss,” Edamura replied in disbelief. “You’re still showing up ‘just for work’?”_

_“I’ll take any opportunity I can to slack off,” Laurent scandalously whispered, grin growing mischievous. Edamura rolled his eyes. “Surely, you can relate, as someone who’s unemployed.”_

_“You—!” Edamura flustered, “I’m not unemployed by choice!”_

_“So, you_ don’t _enjoy slacking off all day?”_

_“…No.” Edamura’s shoulders sagged. “It makes me feel useless.”_

_“It’ll come to pass,” Laurent dismissively said. “You just need something to get you on your feet again.”_

_“Easier said than done,” Edamura scoffed. “You’ve probably had it easy your entire life, being born with a silver spoon in your mouth, so what would you even know?”_

_“Maybe so.”_

_“Definitely then,” Edamura shook his head. “You know, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to. Something like this is definitely inappropriate, right? Out of your paygrade? Aren’t you just an interpreter for your company?”_

_“Me and my boss are close friends, I just happen to also be his interpreter,” Laurent smoothly lied. “If it’s for the good of the company, then I don’t mind at all.”_

_“You call yourself a slacker,” Edamura said, “Yet, you act like such an overachiever.”_

_“I haven’t overachieved anything until I hear the wedding bells ring.”_

_“We—We—Wedding be—”_

_“Joking,” Laurent said._

_“I hate you.”_

* * *

“Wow, it’s just like a real-life fairy tale,” Abigail sarcastically comments. “I thought I was supposed to be pretend to be princess in the plan.”

“ _I’m_ the prince,” Laurent points out.

“Sure, you are. Whatever you say.”

“I think you would like him,” Laurent says into the phone. “He doesn’t look like much, at first, but he would fit in our crew quite nicely.”

“So we can watch you making googly eyes at your husband’s ass every day? Hard pass,” Abigail coldly retorts.

“He has potential,” Laurent adds. “You can see for yourself when you meet him.”

“I don’t want to talk to him,” Abigail spits out. “I don’t trust any person who would’ve agreed to marry _you_. The guy’s either just as much of a lunatic or his brain must be the size of a pea.”

* * *

_A third “meeting” at a museum._

_A fourth “meeting” at a mall._

_By the fifth “meeting”, which is at a park, Edamura had thoroughly looked like he wanted to die. He was mortified that he was forced in the equivalent of an arranged “courting”, but Laurent didn’t know why the man couldn’t just turn these meetings down if he didn’t want to be with him so much._

_Laurent wasn’t sure what to expect when he first stepped foot in Japan again, but he definitely hadn’t ever expected Chen Yao to be shoving a box containing an expensive wedding ring in his hands at any point during their little excursion._

_“Are you sure you’re alright with this?” Chen Yao asked with unsure eyes. “You don’t have to do this for our sake if you don’t want to.”_

_For their sake? This was for_ his _sake, though of course, Laurent wouldn’t say that aloud._

_“He wouldn’t make such a bad husband,” Laurent merely shrugged._

_And that was that. Everything fell into place afterwards, perhaps not perfectly, but…_

* * *

Laurent looks out the window of his hotel room. He digs into his left pocket and pulls out the familiar ring he’s grown accustomed to. There’s already a different wedding ring on the ring finger of his left hand, and even though Laurent’s feelings from all those years ago have passed, albeit not by his own will, a bittersweetness curls inside his gut.

“I hope you’re doing well, Dorothy, wherever you are,” Laurent whispers his promise. “Wish me luck, why don’t you?”

* * *

Unexpectedly, it’s Edamura this time who invites him out. There’s still four days until their wedding, and Edamura invites him on a boat ride through a river.

“What brought this on?” Laurent asks.

“I don’t know,” Edamura vaguely shrugged. “I just—it hit me last night that this wedding is actually going to _be_ a thing and that I can’t stop it.”

 _You could if you wanted to,_ Laurent thinks. _But you won’t._

“I’m going to become your husband,” Edamura says, “and you’re going to be mine. Then, I thought about _why_ you were going through this because there’s no way someone would go to such lengths for the company they worked for.”

“I already said I was marry you for myself.”

“I know, but… it just doesn’t make sense, you know. _You_ don’t make any sense,” Edamura says in accusative tone, jabbing a finger in Laurent’s chest. “Then, I realized—I don’t even know anything about you.”

“We only met just last week.”

“Yeah, but you talk about things like these business trips and stuff, but it’s not… _real._ I didn’t even realize that both your parents were gone until yesterday. _Yesterday_.”

“It’s not a matter I consider so important. Besides, it’s not something that would easily come up in a conversation.”

“We’re rushing things too fast,” Edamura says. “I don’t know you, you don’t know me. We shouldn’t get married; don’t you think?”

“So, the purpose of this date was to try to talk me out of it aga—”

“ _I’m going to become your husband_ ,” Edamura emphasizes. “Like I said, you don’t know anything about me. Doesn’t that bother you?”

Laurent sighs dramatically. The wedding must not be delayed nor cancelled at any cost. His “fiancé” is truly making this harder than it needs to be. What a pain…

“We should have a little heart-to-heart then,” Laurent says, “but not now. It’s daytime, and horribly unromantic. How about tonight, instead?”

Edamura blinks. “R—really?”

Laurent nods. “My friends will be here, and you’ll finally be able to meet them. Then would be the perfect opportunity for you to get to know me better.”

“I think it would make me feel better,” Edamura says with newfound confidence. “I’m not going to back out of the wedding, but… I don’t know. I’m just unsure about a lot of things.”

“It’s perfectly fine,” Laurent reassures Edamura by comfortingly rubbing the back of his fiancé’s hand with swipes of his thumb. “It’s normal to get nervous right before a wedding, especially under our circumstances. I understand completely.”

Edamura sends him a suspicious look. “You’re being awfully nice for once. _Too_ nice.”

“I can’t be mean to my husband-to-be all the time. Who knows, maybe there’s an entire side of me you haven’t seen just yet.”

To Laurent’s surprise, Edamura takes what he says at face value. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be mean when you’re not being mean. I guess you’re right.”

Oh, poor little Edamura.

* * *

They’re at sea once again. It’s not like the small river from their afternoon excursion, where shore was in sight and they were in a boat obviously not meant for anything but leisure.

Edamura gasps when the bag is taken off his head. Laurent watches him frantically look around even with the blindfold over his eyes, as if he’ll somehow magically regain his sight if he focuses enough. Cynthia and Abigail both look unimpressed.

“Edamame?”

“Laurent!” Edamura yells. “Laurent, where are you? Oh god—”

Laurent touches Edamame’s shoulder. “I’m right here.”

Edamura freezes. His body is the personification of the calm before the storm, it only a matter of time before—

“You asshole!” Edamura screams, “Take off the blindfold and undo the ropes already!”

“Alright, alright,” Laurent concedes casually. He slips the black piece of cloth over Edamura’s head, his fiancé’s eyes greeting the sight of the setting sun.

“Why am I not surprised?” Edamura says, “I always suspected there was something in it for you that you weren’t telling me. I have to say, though, a whole kidnapping scheme? And you said _I_ was the one who liked clichés.”

“Tell that to your movie taste, darling,” Laurent chuckled.

“I knew I shouldn’t have told you about that!” Edamura huffs.

“You’re a little out of his league, don’t you think?” Cynthia directs her question to Laurent, barely able to conceal the giggle at her lips.

“He doesn’t look like much,” Abigail bluntly says with a bored look in her eyes.

“Nobody asked for your opinion anyways,” Edamura mutters, switching his language to English.

“He certainly has some spirit, at least,” Cynthia adds.

“That’s my husband,” Laurent proudly brags, also switching to English.

“Fiancé,” Edamura flatly corrects. “And I don’t think you’re supposed to hold your husband for hostage. Maybe just a suggestion.”

“Isn’t that what marriage basically is anyways?” Abigail snorts.

“I believe Laurent told you that we were dropping in for a visit today,” Cynthia mentions, clasping her hands together. “I’m Cynthia.”

Abigail briefly signals with her hand. “Abigail.”

“Wait, you’re telling me Laurent actually has friends?” Edamura gapes, “that’s even more shocking than my abduction! Unless you guys are paid actors…”

Edamura shoots Laurent a dirty look. “…I wouldn’t put it over that blonde bastard.”

“You know, I think I’ve warmed up to him,” Cynthia comments. “I think he’d make an excellent addition to our team! Someone to put Laurent in place constantly would be good.”

“They’d just enable each other, and you know it,” Abigail says. “Besides, we don’t even know how good this kid is at conning.”

“Conning? No, wait, more importantly _—kid?_ Lady, are you blind? Do I look like a kid to you?”

Abigail steps forward to tower over Edamura who is still siting with bound ankles and wrists on the floor of the boat’s deck, her shadow overtaking his. She looks down at him threateningly, but the only thing she says is, “Yes.”

Edamura swallows. “Okay, you guys are just as crazy as Laurent. I no longer believe you two are paid actors—erm, actresses.”

“Hmm, we’re not paid actresses, but we could be considered something close,” Cynthia says.

“Have you seriously not figured it out yet?” Abigail asks.

“Maybe we’re overwhelming him,” Cynthia suggests.

“He’s a quick learner,” Laurent says. “He’s most likely caught on by now.”

“Yeah, I’ve figured it out. I’ve figured it out ever since I heard Laurent’s voice.”

“Oh, this should be good,” Abigail says.

“As expected of my husband,” Laurent adds.

“You guys are here to hold me for ransom. Because of who my mom is.”

“I stand corrected, I expected too much,” Laurent quickly corrects himself. Cynthia sighs.

Abigail shrugs. “It was a better than nothing.”

“We know who your mom is, probably more than you even know her,” Cynthia explains. “But that’s not why we brought you here. Well, it is, but not the entire reason.”

Edamura freezes. “Who the hell are you people, then?”

“Why, we? We are confidence men,” Laurent declares, smirking at the way Edamura’s jaw drops at the reveal.

* * *

Nighttime falls, and the four of them are still on the boat.

Edamura tells him that he needs some room to think alone, so he goes out to the deck alone, emphasizing that nobody follow him. He emphasizes this especially to Laurent.

So, of course, Laurent goes. Because what kind of husband would he be if he doesn’t disobey his husband’s wishes?

(An irresponsible one, perhaps.)

“Get the lighter out already,” Edamura stubbornly demands. “I’m not giving you a cigarette until you light mine. You’re not pulling off that little stunt of yours again.”

“But it was romantic,” Laurent complains.

“Lighter,” Edamura repeats. Laurent looks pained to comply with Edamura’s demand but does so anyways. Well, almost, except Laurent snatches the cigarette out of Edamura’s hands, lights it, and puts it up to his own lips. Edamura _almost_ intercepts it back, but he’s a little too slow to succeed.

Edamura resignedly sighs before taking out the box of cigarettes that Ishigami gave him the night of the proposal and chucking the entire thing into the ocean. “Screw smoking anyways!”

“…Did you just litter?”

“It was to make a point,” Edamura defensively says. “ _You_ scam people for a living. I don’t want to hear any preaching about following the law from any of you people.”

“Hmm, fair point,” Laurent shrugs. “Do you think you’ll come to a decision by tomorrow morning?”

“I don’t know,” Edamura admits. “It would’ve been nice to be in the loop from the start.”

“But we didn’t know each other so well at first.”

“We still don’t know anything about each other right now!” Edamura insistently yells. “I learned more about you tonight than in all the times we’ve met since last week! It’s like I’m only finding out about the real _you_ now.”

“You always knew, though,” Laurent smoothly says. “You have a sharp eye for people. Perhaps not your own pockets, but…”

“Wha—” Edamura shoves his hand into his back pocket, hurriedly taking out his wallet. He opens it to find it completely empty, much to his annoyance and Laurent’s glee. Laurent can’t help the chuckle that bubbles up in his throat at the way Edamura reacts. Oh, it never gets tiring when he manages to throw the other man off.

“When did you—never mind. Just give it back later,” Edamura says. “You know what? You being a confidence artist _completely_ fits your personality as a slimy silver-tongued playboy.”

Laurent raises an eyebrow. “Playboy? Where did that come from?”

“Oh, please. Nobody gets that good at flirting unless they practice regularly. All the puzzles came together when I got the last piece I needed,” Edamura says.

“I wouldn’t flirt behind your back, rest assured, mon chéri.”

Edamura rolls his eyes. “You can drop the act, mister confidence man.”

“Who says I’m acting? There wouldn’t be a point in keeping it up now if it were one,” Laurent says.

“You guys had an original plan. You could’ve said no and gone back to China last week. Then, I wouldn’t have to be involved in this mess. But…” Edamura hesitates, fumbling with words, “you didn’t. I know I asked this the night of your proposal, Laurent, but you never gave a real answer—why did you decide to marry me?”

“Would you believe me if I told you that,” Laurent scoots closer to Edamura, fingers wrapping around the Japanese’s man’s hand, “I’ve fallen in love with you?”

Laurent expects an automatic “no”. It’s what would be most characteristic of his easy-to-get-exasperated husband. Except, it’s not what he gets.

“Oh, really?” Edamura sarcastically says. “Alright, _dear,”_ he uses the term of endearment viciously, “tell me then, in exact words, how you fell in love with me.”

Laurent doesn’t falter, or more like, he refuses to falter.

“Where should I start?”

“Start from when you first laid your eyes on me,” Edamura says, a cocky smile—a _genuinely_ cocky smile forming on his lips. It’s only then when Laurent can truly picture Edamura as his former occupation for once, a confidence artist, and Laurent isn’t going to lie—it’s kind of hot. “Well, silver-tongue?”

“When I first laid my eyes on you,” Laurent grasps Edamura’s hand tighter, “it was akin to a _burst_ of fireworks.”

“Keep going.”

“I saw your oh so adorable little face,” Edamura’s face scrunches up at that description, “and your cleanly cut hair and the dead look in your eyes, and I knew from that moment on that _you_ would be the one.”

“And?”

“Well, I had to agree to a second meeting. And a third. And another after that. After all, I was _infatuated_ with you.”

“Hmm,” Edamura says. “So, you only like me for my likes? How superficial.”

“Aren’t most people superficial? You wouldn’t date someone you didn’t find attractive,” Laurent says. “I fell in love with the person behind the looks in a matter of days. Now, I’m the lucky man to be wed to said man I’ve fallen in love with.”

“Do you make it a habit of yours to fall in love with people you’ve just met?”

“Only you,” Laurent tries to press his lips on Edamura’s hand, but Edamura pulls it away before he can. Instead, Edamura leans in close, closer than he ever has before of his own volition, to the point where their faces are almost touching. If Laurent wants to, he could kiss him from this distance.

“Tell me this one thing Laurent,” Edamura says. “And be honest for my own sake. This wedding that’s happening in a few days, our marriage… is it real?”

“Nothing I’ve said to you has ever been fake,” Laurent replies, “although, it depends on your definition. Semantics and all, remember?”

“Just answer the question, forget about everything else,” Edamura quietly says. “I need to know, Laurent. Will it be real?”

“As real as you want it to be,” Laurent says. It’s an immediate response—one that comes automatically to mind. Edamura doesn’t look pleased at his answer, digging into his pockets. His hand is closed in a fist intentionally to hide the object hidden within the grasp of his fingers. Edamura uses his other hand to guide Laurent’s hand out, palm facing the sky.

“I’m sorry,” Edamura says, placing his fist on top of Laurent’s hand. He drops the object, closing Laurent’s fingers around it before leaving Laurent alone on the deck.

It’s a ring.

Laurent expects it to be that stupidly expensive diamond ring that he gave Edamura that night from Chen Yao, except it’s not. It’s Dorothy’s ring.

Laurent digs into his pockets where he knows Dorothy’s ring should be, except it’s the diamond ring that is in his pocket. The old switcheroo and Laurent didn’t notice that he had been beaten at his own game, in a rather humiliating way.

Laurent holds up Dorothy’s ring so that the far away moon could fit inside the metal accessory. He stares at it, mesmerized by how the moonlight gleams off the blue gem.

The hole that could never be filled, eh? Eloquently put, Edamame.

* * *

The wedding isn’t called off as far as Laurent knows. Edamura’s been avoiding him ever since that night on the boat, although supposedly Cynthia has his number now.

“The wedding is on,” Cynthia says, “I’ve gotten his confirmation.”

“Maybe he’s not as much of a wimp as I initially took him to be,” Abigail admits, slightly impressed.

“He _has_ the spirit inside him. He just needed that little spark to push him forward. I think I heard a rumor somewhere that he used to call himself the greatest con man in Japan,” Cynthia mentions.

“If he’s the best that Japan has to offer, the competition must not be very good then,” Abigail says.

A hand grabs Laurent’s shoulder, jostling him back to awareness. It’s Cynthia, looking both curious and concerned for Laurent at the same time. “Trouble in paradise?” she asks, expression melding into sympathetic.

“Probably just disappointed he couldn’t get into his fiancé’s pants after the big reveal,” Abigail dismissively says.

“I’m unsure about what he’ll do on our wedding day,” Laurent admits after a long reluctant pause. “He’s a bit of a loose cannon when he has nothing to lose, you see.”

Abigail snorts. “You’re the one who recommended we get him in on this whole thing, though.”

“I may have underestimated his loyalty,” Laurent surmises. “He genuinely cares for that woman he calls his mother, human-trafficker or not.”

“Why did you even decide to trust him, then?” Abigail snaps.

“Because he equally would do everything in his power to stop her,” Laurent says. “I’ll admit, it’s a gamble. I placed all my chips on him because I thought he would make the right choice in the end.”

“And if he doesn’t?” Abigail asks.

“…Ah, this was a selfish mission from the start,” Laurent sighs. He pulls out a ring—Edamura’s ring. That Edamura left behind. “I’ve toyed with a man to get this far, when I shouldn’t have come in the first place.”

Abigail stumbles back, shocked at the genuine vulnerability Laurent shows.

“There’s nothing wrong with a little revenge,” Cynthia says. “Revenge feels good, like that itch in your back that you’ve been waiting years to scratch. People are delusional if they call themselves ‘above’ revenge. Sometimes, people deserve it.”

“Maybe they do,” Abigail sighs, “but it’s not enough. It’s not what we always need.”

“We volunteered for this mission for a reason, Laurent,” Cynthia reassures the Frenchman. “Things haven’t gone quite to plan, but… is it really alright to back out now when things are set in motion? This is what _you_ wanted, right?”

“It’s what she would have wanted,” Laurent dismissively answers, waving his hand away. “I’m ready to put the past behind us after this. I merely wanted to tie up loose ends.”

“That’s fine,” Cynthia says.

“That still begs the question what we’ll do about our loose cannon, though,” Abigail points out. “It’s a little too late to pull him back out.”

“I’ll—”

Laurent interrupts Cynthia, “I’ll talk to him. I’m the one who dragged him into this after all, I might as well tell him how we’ll finish it.”

“God knows if he follows through…” Cynthia mutters.

“That reminds me, here are the formal invitations.” Laurent passes out the envelopes to his colleagues, who examine it with looks of apprehension.

“Taiwan?” Cynthia asks.

* * *

To say the plane ride is nothing short of awkward is an understatement.

They are seated next to each other on a private jet all to themselves, of course, as per Suzaku’s arrangements, but they don’t talk nor acknowledge each other—nor even glance at each other. Edamura keeps his attention focused on the window while Laurent idly reads a book.

At some point mid-flight, Laurent makes a passing comment, “You know, we’ll be forced to have a conversation together eventually.”

To which Edamura petulantly replies, “I know, and we’ll have it when that time comes,” in a tone that clearly indicates he’s not in any mood to talk. Well, alright then.

Unfortunately for Edamura, Laurent’s not one to keep quiet, even in times when he should. A habit that haunts his friends in particular.

“Are you cold, dea—”

“No.”

“Thirsty? I’ll get the flight atten—”

“No.”

“Still mad?”

“There was never a time where I wasn’t mad,” Edamura replies, “especially now, when I don’t want to talk to you.”

“They say miscommunication is what makes most relationships fall apart,” Laurent hums.

“Our relationship was never real once,” Edamura says. “So don’t try those cheesy quotes or one-liners related to a thing that never existed.”

“Alright,” Laurent says. “Do you like cats?”

The question makes Edamura do a double-take. “Excuse me?”

“Cats. Felines. Leonine creatures,” Laurent clarifies, “do you favor them?”

To Laurent’s surprise, Edamura answers honestly. “Well—I—I guess they’re alright. I was never into getting a pet when I was a kid, but they’re cute enough.”

“Huh. I thought you had a surefire affinity for them,” Laurent says, “according to what everyone implies.”

“It’s embarrassing to admit I only like them because they reminded me of mom,” Edamura flusters. “And Suzaku-san enjoys them. It worked out in the end.”

“Would you say you’re more of a dog-person, then?”

“I never looked into getting a dog. They’re also alright, but maybe more high maintenance than cats. I’d consider myself a pretty lazy guy.”

“Because you’re unemployed?” Laurent teases with a wink and a humorous grin. Edamura jabs him in the side with his elbow, which quite honestly, he deserves.

“You and your stupid ‘jokes’,” Edamura says. “One day, you’re going to piss off the wrong person and regret it. Mark my words.”

“It’s already happened,” Laurent says. “I didn’t receive any punishment, however, one of my closest friends had to lose her life because of me. _Instead_ of me.”

“You’re not playing with me again, are you?”

“We were going to move back to Paris after retiring from swindling, start a new life there,” Laurent further explains. “We were too careless when trying to scam a certain Chinese mafia. They dragged her out to sea to execute her. I was there. I watched it all happen.”

“You don’t mean the same people you’re working with…?”

“Why do you think I’m here in the first place, Makoto?”

“Just call me Edamame. Anything else feels weird,” Edamura says, shuddering. “Why didn’t you stop them?”

Laurent humorlessly chuckles. Edamura glances at him for once in genuine concern. “I felt helpless back then. I was just a mere interpreter in their eyes, and I was safe. They hadn’t questioned my loyalty at all, and we were out alone in a small boat surrounded by water.”

Laurent sighs. “Some part of me wishes I would’ve done something, even at the cost of my own life. I knew it would’ve been useless, but… it would’ve been better than to just _watch_.”

“Things like retiring, being complacent, settling down… I’ve realized now that I’m not cut out for that life,” Laurent says. “It won’t ever fill that hole.”

“Do you ever think that hole could be filled, though? At all?” Edamura asks.

“Is it pessimistic of me to say I have my doubts?” Laurent half-jokingly counters, leaning his head back on the chair.

“No,” Edamura says. “Maybe it’s not meant to be filled.”

Laurent takes out the ring once again, in plain sight for Edamura to see. “It was an old promise,” he says. “Years ago.”

“You’ve been planning this whole thing for years?” Edamura snickers. “Why’d it take so long?”

“Preparations here and there,” Laurent waves off. “Mostly, I had to build a team from ground up, but I spent a year after the incident being…”

“Nothing?” Edamura asks.

“Close enough,” Laurent shrugs.

The sky outside the jet is starting to turn dark at that point, already past sunset. Their wedding is in just under two days.

“I was nothing until Suzaku found me,” Edamura murmurs. “Then, I became… something. Nothing great, but at least I wasn’t nothing anymore. Then, you found me, somehow.”

“Now, you’re my husband—”

 _“Fiancé_ ,” Edamura corrects once again. “Don’t ruin the moment.”

Laurent’s serious expression turns into a familiar snarky grin, always one to adore seeing Edamura’s annoyed face. “And now, we’re here.”

“You could’ve just told me last night it was… an old thing for a friend,” Edamura awkwardly says. “I feel stupid now for assuming stuff and _oh my god I thought it a wedding ring_ —”

“It was her old heirloom, her good luck charm. Was Edamame genuinely upset that his supposed fake fiancé might’ve been seeing someone behind his back?”

“I mean, we’re not _fake_ , is the thing. It would’ve upset Suzaku-san if she found out. I don’t want her to be sad. Which, I know is weird, considering… everything.”

“You didn’t know,” Laurent says.

Edamura shakes his head. “I didn’t. I knew she was the successor of… something, which I first assumed was a company, but everything felt off. I even met Ishigami and alarm bells went off in my head. I always suspected that Suzaku-san was involved in something shady, but I never pushed it.”

“Is it selfish of me to say it was because I didn’t want to know?” Edamura continues. “I wanted to remain oblivious. I kept telling myself before that no matter how bad it was, I would be there for her, but now that I know… it’s _really_ bad…”

“She’s my _mom_ , you know? What am I supposed to do?” Edamura asks.

Edamura smiles bittersweetly. “Be honest with me, Laurent. Am I a bad person for hesitating to turn Suzaku-san in? I could make a million excuses right now if I could—she was forced into the business by her own family, she was already planning on retiring, ‘it’s nothing personal’…”

“Yet, at the end of the day, I know in my heart she’s done unforgiveable things,” Edamura lowly mutters.

“I wouldn’t say a ‘bad person’,” Laurent says. “Selfish, definitely.”

“Can’t be a confidence man without a little bit of selfishness inside all of us,” Edamura flatly jokes.

“We’re only human,” Laurent states. “We’re not as infallible as we can appear, even those of us who treat this business like a game.”

“So, our marriage…?”

“Won’t be real,” Laurent answers before Edamura can even finish the question. “I’m having a little friend fly over to pretend to be our minister. It won’t be official in any way.”

Edamura nods. “That’s for the best.”

“Will you still take the ring back in the meantime?” Laurent pulls it out from his sleeve instead of his pockets this time, making Edamura shake his head in exasperation.

“You were waiting to pull that out from there this entire time,” Edamura says, unamused. Still, nonetheless, the Japanese man takes the accessory from him and fits it snugly on his ring finger. “You can have the ring back after the wedding. I think I’ll want to forget this entire experience.”

“But it doesn’t fit on me,” Laurent complains, “you should take it, Edamame.”

“Difficult as always,” Edamura groans.

* * *

After an emotionally taxing conversation on the plane, they finally arrive in Taipei at a pre-arranged hotel’s front desk. The concierge greets them in English.

“Hello! Welcome, welcome,” the employee warmly waves them over. “We are very pleased to have such esteemed guests staying in our hotel. You two are the ones getting married soon, yes?”

Edamura looks uncomfortable with the sudden intrusion of privacy. Laurent has to guess that he’s not used to being treated like a star or celebrity of any kind.

“Well, uh—”

“That’s us,” Laurent answers for Edamura. “We have a reservation, I assume?”

“Yes, the penthouse with one bedroom and one king si—”

“One bed,” Edamura chokes.

“Yes, one bed—”

“Oh, uh—is, is it too late to, uh, change that… if it’s possible, I mean. You obviously don’t have to if it’s not,” Edamura stutters, cheeks flushing red.

“He’s a bit shy,” Laurent whispers in explanation. “ _Extremely_ shy. He doesn’t even want to share the same bed with me until we’re married! Very conservative family, traditional to a fault.”

“I—” Edamura blushes a deeper red. “You—”

“Look at him, he can’t even manage words at the thought!” Laurent feigns an innocent gasp.

“ _Please_ ,” Edamura tries with visible effort to speak out. “Two bedrooms, if possible. _Two beds_ , at least.”

“Or two bedrooms, one bed,” Laurent jokingly teases, which causes the concierge to burst into laughter, much to Edamura’s misery.

“Oh, to be young and to be in love,” the concierge laughs.

“We’re older than we look,” Edamura meekly defends but knows he’s lost the battle already. “Alright, alright, fine. Just take the key so we can go already.”

“You won’t believe how much trouble and effort we’ve had to go through to finally get the privacy we want,” Laurent tells the concierge. He slips an arm around Edamura’s neck casually, pulling him closer. “And it isn’t even our wedding night yet!”

“I’m going to die of mortification if you continue this on further,” Edamura bluntly states. “I’m begging you at this point. No, even past begging now. Can we please just go?”

* * *

“I think you made me lose a year of my lifespan just now,” Edamura complains as they’re riding the elevator up to the penthouse. “That was more stressful than any con job I’ve ever had to pull off!”

“Perhaps Abby was right when she said Japan doesn’t have much competition,” Laurent says. When Edamura shoots him a glare, Laurent continues, “I’m just joking.”

“I will _not_ have my skills be insulted like that,” Edamura pouts. They walk out together, and Laurent uses the key to their luxurious room, paid by Suzaku.

Edamura’s mouth drops wide open. _“What is this!”_

Laurent stands at the doorway, frozen in both astonishment and awe. Suzaku, she…

Haha.

Laurent laughs at the pure—pure absurdity—is Suzaku a madwoman? This has to be her doing, no doubt about it. Their room is being paid by her, after all.

“Was this your doing?” Edamura accusingly asks.

“No, of course not,” Laurent laughs harder, wiping a tear from his eye. “I think you ought to be asking your mother-figure what happened to our dear couch.”

“This isn’t funny!” Edamura says. “How can she just— _how_?”

“Apparently, you’re just as predictable as you appear,” Laurent teasingly quips.

“Shut it!” Edamura huffs, storming off to the bed— _their_ bed. Their shared bed. Oh, Suzaku, you sly, sly woman.

* * *

“Too close,” Edamura says.

Laurent scoots just a _centimeter_ away.

“Too close,” Edamura repeats.

Laurent also repeats the same motion.

“I will repeat ‘too close’ a million times if I have to until I get you to the other side of the bed,” Edamura grumbles. “ _Fake_ marriage, remember? Fake wedding, fake husband, fake relationship…”

Laurent blinks. “We could make it real if you would—”

“Rejected,” Edamura flatly tells him, flipping on his side to turn away from Laurent. “Now, go to sleep. I won’t bother you anymore.”

Before Laurent could respond, Edamura quickly adds, “ _but_ , you’re not allowed to get closer to me throughout the remainder of the night! Don’t even think about it! Got it?”

Laurent sighs resignedly, more for show than anything genuine, whining a long, “got it”.

* * *

Laurent opens his eyes to two curious eyes peeking at his face up close.

The eyes staring at him widen a fraction before the sound of someone rustling hits his ears followed by the blinding morning light hitting his eyes. He squints in discomfort, forcing himself up.

It doesn’t even register in his head that someone had been watching him sleep until he was already halfway to the bathroom. Oh dear. Edamura must’ve gotten curious at his bedhead attire since the man only seems him at his best.

Admittedly, it is a little adorable.

(Fake wedding, fake husband, fake relationship.)

_(If you ever get married to the poor unfortunate soul willing to take you, make sure you at least have a blast. You got that, Laurent?_

_Me, married? Don’t be ridiculous, Dorothy.)_

* * *

They go sightseeing the day before their wedding. This part wasn’t planned by Suzaku, but Laurent’s been to Taiwan before and knows all the best spots to visit. They don’t act like a couple at all, but Edamura seems to be genuinely enjoying his company, and that’s already a plus for today.

They hop around, never staying for more than two hours at most. Sometimes, they’ll even visit an attraction for thirty minutes, zooming through it before continuing on. It’s not as if they’re planning on staying for long, so no need to savor it.

Laurent spots a tacky hat shaped like a cat, with little perky ears sticking out and everything. He buys it behind Edamura’s back, surprising the man by slipping it on without any input from his fiancé.

“I can’t believe you,” Edamura says. “It looks stupid.”

“That’s the point,” Laurent points out, “the best confidence man is the one who is the least suspicious looking. Nobody would ever suspect you wearing such a cute little dumb hat.”

“I’m going to—” Edamura muffles his thinly veiled threat, forcing himself to take a deep breath. “Will you _ever_ get tired of making fun of me?”

“No, darling,” Laurent shamelessly admits.

“I need to up my game,” Edamura huffs. “I need a stupid pet name that you won’t be able to stand. Like, like, erm…”

“Call me gorgeous,” Laurent smarmily tells him.

“Pass,” Edamura flatly says, deep in thought. Which, paired with the cat hat, looks even more adorable. “How about Laurcchi?”

Foreign names and Japanese nicknames do _not_ mix well together.

“Okay, just forget I ever said that,” Edamura quickly adds. “That sounded bad even in my own ears.”

“I can always call you Makoto if you wan—”

“I’m already used to Edamame! It’s fine! You can even call me it after this whole thing is over, when we’re partners, alright? I think I’d prefer that over my first name or you mispronouncing my last name horribly wrong—”

“Edamura,” Laurent says perfectly.

…

“Laurent, I’m going to ki—!”

* * *

They have dinner at a nice restaurant. Edamura tells him a little about his unusual hobby of collecting gacha figures and his uncanny love for so-bad-it’s-good movies. Laurent feels more easy opening up about things that trickle into his personal life.

“You used to _gamble?_ ” Edamura asks in amazement. “Wait, wait— _you used to have long hair?_ I can’t imagine it at all!”

“Well, if you’d like to see it, I’d have to grow it out… just for you…” Laurent winks at Edamura.

“I’d feel bad if you actually look better with short hair,” Edamura says. “You don’t have to do something so big for me.”

“Growing out my hair, especially at my own husband’s request, is just a small matter to me,” Laurent gracefully tells him.

“Hair is very important, it’s everything! People who grow out their hair in my country are seen as weird or different,” Edamura says. “It’s taboo.”

“It’s a good thing I’m not from your country.” Laurent doesn’t miss how Edamura skipped over correcting him for once. Semantics…

“That being said, is Edamame telling me I look good with short hair? Does he think I’m handsome overall? Hmm?”

“Y—You’re not _bad-looking_ …”

“Oh?” Laurent grins at the compliment (half-compliment?) knowing it’s a mile’s worth considering the type of man Edamura is.

“That being said, it has nothing and absolutely _nothing_ with the fact that we are getting married,” Edamura nervously adds. “We just happened to be working… _somewhat_ towards the same goal and that’s why we’re getting a _fake_ —remember, fake marriage.”

“You know, I _am_ superficial,” Laurent announces.

“Don’t explain any further,” Edamura tells him.

“Superficially in love—” Laurent sends Edamura an adoring look, “with you.”

“Oh my god,” Edamura says.

“Also, your looks.”

“You could’ve stopped with just me!”

* * *

“Are you asleep?”

Laurent blinks. “No.”

“Oh,” Edamura says, flipping onto his side so Laurent can see his face. “Is it weird that I’m getting nervous over being fake-married?”

“Are you sure you’re not just nervous over how the plan will go tomorrow?”

“Uh…” Edamura’s voice comes out dumbfounded. “I didn’t really think much about the plan. I just keep thinking about the fact that we’re going to have to kiss on the altar— _don’t you dare bring up practicing or so help me_ —”

Laurent chuckles. “It’s a little late for that. Maybe next time, mon chéri?”

“There won’t be a next time, you snake.”

Edamura continues, “It’s not going to be awkward, right? Just a quick peck is enough? I mean, I wouldn’t really want to make out with someone in front of the woman I see as my mom.”

“It’s our wedding kiss,” Laurent says.

“Yeah, but everyone knows the marriage is arranged anyways. We don’t have to play it up for them, do we?”

“…Edamame, have you ever kissed anyone before?”

“…”

“Edamame?”

“I choose not to answer the question.”

* * *

Laurent and Edamura walk down the aisle, arms locked together. All things considered, Dorothy, the ride has been real fun. Marriage is like a rollercoaster with its ups and downs, and Edamura has been unlike any passenger he’s been with.

Kim Shi-won, his old friend, stood at the altar, ready to make their marriage “official” as an employee from the courthouse. Unfortunately, all rollercoasters must come to a stop eventually. Even the fun ones. It’s to Dorothy’s old belief that one had to get off before it ever stopped being fun.

Still, it’s definitely going to be interesting having Edamame on the team—the man he proposed to, the man he’s exchanged deep secrets with, the man who won’t stop blushing at every single flirtatious move Laurent makes—

“Laurent!” Edamura whispers hurriedly to him in English so nobody can accidentally overhear them, “now is not the time to space out. It’s almost time.”

“Are you ready?”

“No, but I want to at least make Suzaku-san think we’re a happy couple or something lame like that,” Edamura anxiously whispers.

Kim Shi-won stops in the middle of reading the document, glancing at Edamura and Laurent curiously.

“What happened?” Suzaku asks.

Kim Shi-won adjusts her glasses and a loose strand from her black wig. She squints at the document she was reading from. “Oh, nothing. I’ll proceed now.”

“That was weird,” Edamura whispers. “Why’d she stop all of a sudden?”

Laurent shrugs.

When she’s done reading the document, the “deed” is done. Almost like the night of the proposal, there’s short, delayed claps. Everyone is watching them, and Laurent can feel Edamura’s nerves eating him inside out from just being besides him.

“Don’t worry,” Laurent reassures him by placing a comforting hand over Edamura’s clamp cold hand, “We don’t have to kiss. That’s more of a western thing, and the wedding traditions here are loose.”

“Are you sure?”

“If it truly makes you uncomfortable, then you shouldn’t have to feel pressured into doing it,” Laurent says. “A first kiss is important, after all, no matter how late.”

“I both hate but feel gratitude for you at the same time,” Edamura whispers back before smiling and waving at the crowd.

* * *

“Stepping down?” Ishigami repeats in horror. “You—You mean _I’ll_ have to take your place in the coalition?”

“I cannot place the burden on my son,” Suzaku declares. “I’ve upheld traditions for many decades now for the sake of my ancestors, but I’ve decided that it is time I go out to seek some meaning of my own.”

Edamura seems just as surprised at the news, hand still in Laurent’s own hand. Suzaku notices this and decides to take Edamura’s other hand, squeezing it in her own.

“…Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Edamura asks, unsure. Ishigami steps away from them, knowing how to read the room. “I’ve heard some bleak stories of people trying to settle down, grow complacent… and how they go right back when it all fails.”

“The only reason why I hadn’t retired earlier was because of you,” Suzaku states. “I’m sure you’ll find a family of your own to fit in with as long as you stay with this man.”

Laurent wonders if she _knows_. The timing of it is all too perfect—but judging from Edamura’s expression, he hadn’t told her a single thing about himself. In fact, Edamura seems to be coming to the same realization as Lauren—

Suzaku slyly smiles a Cheshire grin at the pair of gaping looks, always so mysterious. “I’ll be going now. I have a flight somewhere to catch.”

Edamura and Laurent exchange glances. Laurent shrugs. Edamura sighs, resigned look on his face. “I wish you the best too, mom. Please—stay safe. And thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“Be free,” Suzaku tells Edamura. “It’s all I want for you.”

She turns to Laurent, soft look turning cold. “Take care of him. He’s your partner now, after all.”

“I always take care of my partners,” Laurent says, serious. The hand gripping Edamura’s squeezes tightly. “I promise, your son is in good hands.”

“Oh and apologize to Ishigami for me when you have the chance,” Suzaku says before slipping out one of the backdoors of the grand hall to who-knows-where.

“…Oh my god. I didn’t even need to make a choice; she was already one step ahead of us,” Edamura laments. “Should I have done something? Does this make me complacent in a crime? I mean, I was—”

“Relax, mon chéri, we’ll fret about it later,” Laurent says, patting Edamura on the back. “For now, we should drink some tea and enjoy the show, no?”

“She—did she plan this all along? Laurent— _Laurent!_ ”

Then, the telling sign of broken glass and doors being torn down is heard. The thrill of the so-called rollercoaster ride that is marriage still in his veins, Laurent “drags” his “newlywed husband” out in a planned escapade far away from the “police” currently straggling with the members from the remaining coalition of the Scarlet company. It involves a van, a high-speed chase, and a faked blow-out explosion, all caught on film.

“Something tells me that being married to you is not good for my blood pressure,” Edamura wheezes by the end of it, grasping at his heart.

“You get used to it,” Abigail, the driver of their getaway van, announces. “Or rather, you have no choice but to get used to it.”

Laurent smiles—a genuine smile—and he places a hand over his pocket, where he knows the ring will be. A good luck charm, indeed. A miracle that it has worked.

(Thank you, Dorothy.)

* * *

Dorothy stares at the old TV screen, scratching her head. She has a strange feeling of déjà vu from watching the news reel footage but cannot exactly place her tongue on.

There’s a specific part of the video where two men can be seen side by side in the open back of a van, wearing matching wedding suits and holding hands while staring at the camera. When someone passes by asking her, “Xiangxiang, what did you find so interesting in the news?”

To which she replies, “I don’t know, but I felt happy watching these two together! They looked like they were having a lot of fun.”

* * *

Edamura’s never been the best at parties.

It holds true here. When Laurent had said he had friends, Edamura never would’ve imagined there would be so many fresh faces he doesn’t recognize. All the _money_ that they were rolling in, as well…

Edamura was a con man, but he was a modest con man who lived humbly. He’s never seen so much money all in one place at the same time.

“Of course, there’s still the matter of Suzaku… who’s still somewhere out there,” Laurent says. “There’s a bounty for her person, but I wouldn’t even know where to begin to look. It doesn’t seem worth the effort, either.”

“Hmm… if I had to guess, she’s probably hiding somewhere in the countryside, probably somewhere near a teahouse. She does love her tea,” Edamura explains. “Are you sure it’s alright to let her go?”

“As much as I hate to admit it, she’s outsmarted us,” Laurent retorts. “For now, we’ll let it be.”

* * *

“So, you’re Laurent’s new husband?”

“Oh, no, we just got, uh, fake-arranged-married. It was a whole thing,” Edamura tells the stranger who is apparently one of Laurent’s acquaintances. “We’re not actually married.”

“Ohh, I see,” the man comments.

“It was fun while it lasted, though,” Laurent says, patting Edamura’s back. “We’ll just be partners from now on, then.”

“ _Business_ partners,” Edamura insists.

“Of course, Edamame,” Laurent winks.

“Ugh,” Edamura rolls his eyes. Some things just won’t change, huh? Why did Suzaku entrust him to this blonde bastard of all people?

“Uhm… may I have a word with you two?” came the voice of that woman—the one who Laurent hired to do their fake wedding—what was her name again—Kim Shi-won asks.

“Sure,” Edamura agrees.

* * *

Edamura’s never seen Laurent look so genuinely surprised before, it’s like the pot of gold that awaits at the end of the rainbow. In fact, instead of being shocked by such outrageous news, Edamura laughs freely.

“Let me guess—Suzaku-san put you up to this,” Edamura tells Kim Shi-won. However, Kim Shi-won shakes her head.

“It was some… miscommunication between me and Laurent. He was being so cryptic, I thought he _chose me_ because of my connections from within Taiwan. Suzaku-san did check to see if I had the credentials, which were faked, but…”

“I’m afraid, as it stands, the marriage is officially recognized,” Kim Shi-won says.

“Oh, alright,” Edamura shrugs. “I guess, considering every other crazy thing that’s happened, this is honestly the least I can handle. As much as I had to admit it, being married to Laurent isn’t… _that_ bad as I thought.”

Kim Shi-won nods before turning her attention back to Laurent, who is sill stunned by the news. Oh, how the tables have turned.

“Laurent?” Edamura asks, waving a hand in front of his husband— _his real husband_. They were married now, all those “fake documents” weren’t as fake as originally thought, and now they’re married. “Oh my god, I think you broke him!”

* * *

Marriage is like that rollercoaster which just refuses to end.

Quite literally in his case.

(Dear Dorothy, give him strength.)

**Author's Note:**

> Originally a bus-pass fic, now extended and completed in all its glory. By like, a lot. I was originally going to end it somewhere else much closer to my bus-pass length, where i wouldn't get into laurent's plans and end it somewhere with wedding and not focus too much on the in betweens and stuff. in fact, laurent's plans weren't originally going to take place until AFTER the wedding, where they would both be forced to go to china, but ofc that wouldnt really be included much in the fic. 
> 
> But to me that kinda seemed like something Laurent really wouldn't do, delaying plans for his wedding, lmao. He would definitely be the type of guy to multitask something like an arranged marriage. So I wanted to play on that angle a bit more. Okay, a lot more. Maybe a bit too much. Oh dear. I think even though my bus pass fic ended somewhere bittersweet, I decided to just give these suckers a happy ending. and everything in between. (im sorry mods for any unnecessary stress caused)


End file.
